


A Thousand Heartbeats Beat in Time

by iBelBel



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, It's all fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 17:19:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17308694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iBelBel/pseuds/iBelBel
Summary: The Doctor takes Yaz to a cool planet





	A Thousand Heartbeats Beat in Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short little fic I came up with between working on bigger projects
> 
> Title from Shooting Star by Owl City

The TARDIS engines thumped to a halt, subsiding to the gentle hum that always filled the console room. 

“So where are we then?” Yaz asked, coming to the Doctor’s side by the console. 

The Doctor had a grin on her face as she met Yaz’s eyes. “Want to take a look?” She said mysteriously, bouncing to the door and resting a hand on the latch. She pulled the door open, holding it as Yaz stepped out onto the surface of the alien planet, following closely behind.

They were in a forest, the trees appeared stunted, low and gnarled and shrub-like, with wide, circular leaves that leaked a thick black liquid from a pore in the center of each one. Small points of light, electric blue in color, pulsated on the trunks and branches. “Is it night?” Yaz asked, noting the darkened sky. 

“Nope, the sun’s right over there.” The Doctor pointed to where a glowing orange ring hung low in the deep blue sky. “The orbit of this planet is aligned perfectly with the orbit of that one,” she motioned back to the obscured star, “that the sun is perpetually eclipsed.” 

The look of awe on Yaz’s face brought a smile to her own. “If there’s no sunlight, then why are there trees?” 

“Great question, ten points to Yasmin Khan! And the answer is, bioluminescence. Take a look,” She gestured back to the trees, where the foliage still throbbed with little blue lights. 

Yaz approached a trunk, and discovered that the light was coming not from the tree itself, but a small creature that clung to it. It was the size of her palm, an oval shape, and nearly transparent. Through the glassy body, she could see its organs, digestive tract, and vascular system. The creature’s body was covered in tiny black dots just beneath the surface of its exoskeleton, with a denser cluster at one end. The source of the light came from the heart, glowing brighter on each beat and fading in between. 

“That’s not even the best bit. Come and see,” The Doctor led Yaz to a break in the trees, where they stood at the edge of a cliff. Below, the canopy pulsated with light, traveling across the treetops in waves that bounced off each other like ripples in a pond. 

“Give me your hand.” The Doctor reached, taking Yaz’s in her own and turning the palm upwards, cupping the back of Yaz’s hand. Yaz watched carefully, her breath catching in her chest. 

The Doctor reached over with her free hand, plucking one of the glassy creatures from a nearby branch. The glowing heartbeat faltered in its rhythm, shuttering into an uneven tempo. The Doctor winced, muttering a quiet sorry before placing it in Yaz’s palm. The pulse returned to a steady beat as the Doctor pulled her hands away. “Now look.”

Yaz looked out at the canopy of lights again, but now the rhythm had changed. The ripples were being taken over by a single series of waves, emanating from their position. The wave traveled for over a mile before it faded back into ripples. Turning, Yaz could see that the trees behind them pulsed with the same waves. Slowly, she realized that her heart was beating in time with those of the alien creatures, each pump of her own matching the creature in her hand, and those immediately around her just a fraction of a moment later. The ripple moved outward from there, spreading to every one of the little glassy creatures in the forest.

“The sun is setting,” The Doctor commented quietly. She watched Yaz, her gaze soft as she took in the marveled sparkle in Yaz’s dark eyes. “Care to sit?” She motioned to the edge of the cliff, where she took a seat herself, her legs dangling over empty air. 

The waves of electric blue grew closer together as Yaz approached the edge, carefully easing herself down to the ground, while still being careful with the creature in her hand. 

“It’s alright, I’ve got you.” The Doctor reached out, her hand hovering a fraction of an inch from Yaz’s elbow, ready to catch her if she slipped. 

“I’m ok,” Yaz flashed the Doctor a reassuring smile as she settled herself. She looked back to the horizon, where the eclipsed sun was indeed beginning to set. The ring of light was just touching the edge of the world, a violet shade blushing across the sky. “What- how does this all work?” She asked, taking in the scene before her. It felt like the whole world was revolving around her.

“This whole planet functions on a symbiotic relationship between these creatures and the trees. The creatures feed on the sap of the trees, and in exchange they provide light so the trees can grow. There’s a low level psychic field generated by the creatures, they’re all connected to every other one around them, it controls their hearts. And right now, you, Yazmin Khan, are at the center of it.” Yaz met the Doctor’s eyes. “This little guy here is tapping you into the network, and because yours is the strongest heart around, it’s setting the beat for all of them.” The Doctor noticed a tiny flutter in the pulsing lights around them at her words. 

A chilled breeze blew up the cliff face, causing Yaz to shiver. The Doctor held out an arm, and Yaz scooted closer, nestling into the Doctor’s warmth as she watched the sun dropping below the horizon, leaving the sky stained an orangish shade, and the swells of blue fire that filled the forest canopy. 

“What do you think?” The Doctor murmured.

“It’s beautiful,” Yaz breathed. Her face was lit up brighter than any of the glowing creatures around them.

“Yeah,” the Doctor’s gaze was on Yaz, only catching the reflection of the scene in the other woman’s eyes. “It is.”


End file.
